A Most Violent Year

I am a big fan of Martin Scorses films.  Especially his crime mob films Godfellas,  Casino and The Departed. There is something special about the way Martin Scorsese makes films, he have a feeling for telling stories in his own personal way. It seems that when he takes on the subject of crimes, drugs, money and alcohol, he knows how to deliver. Just think of The Wolf Of Wall Street, what a ride. It was actually so good i wanted to applaud in the cinema seat. Mob films most famous trilogy is without a doubt The Godfather. I don´t think i know anyone who have at least seen one of them, or the first 2, because in some ways it is tradition to see The Godfather. A masterpiece indeed, especially the second one. To see Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and many more, do wonderful performances is timeless. Even if the films were made over 40 years ago, they still feel very important for the next generation of film makers, to see how classics still survives in todays society. Mob films is without a doubt a Classic genre, and one of my personal favourites is The Untouchables by Brian De Palma. Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia and Sean Penn in a really intense action drama film, set in Chicago. This is actually one of the best films director Brian De Palma have made so far, and a classic of the 80´s. Nowdays there are a few titles that include the mob genre, but in many different time perspectives. About 5 months ago i started reading in english movie magazines about a new mob film called A Most Violent Year. From the information, and the positive feedback from critics, i got really excited to check this film out. Director J. C. Chandor have directed 2 feature films in the past, Margin Call and All Is Lost, both great films. To see him go for a mob story set in the early 80´s in New York, made me curious to see if he had something to bring into this genre. Is A Most Violent Year a worthy tribute to classic mob films we all love from the past, or is this a cheap copy that does not have much to say ?

Abel Morales ( Oscar Isaac ) is a business man, who make sure he is living a good life for his family. He runs a heating-oil business with his wife Anna Morales ( Jessica Chastain ). They have 2 kids together, and Abel try to make sure his family is safe, even though he is not a legal business man. The company seems to be going well, suddenly they are faced with hijackings, with anonymous gunmen. Problems become more clear when Abel one night discover a tresspasser outside his home. He chase the person away and it seems to be no problem. Next day Anna discover one of their kids find a gun outside their house. She confront Abel to make sure this never happens again, and he promise to take care of this. When police come around asking questions, about their company´s papers, Abel need to hide everything to make sure they don´t get into bigger problems. Abel is convinced that this is caused by his rivals. This is not going to stop Abel from doing what he knows best, making business.

The scenery of New York, set in 1981 looks great. It is as if director J. C. Chandor tries to capture that feeling of how it was, in the most violent year New York have experienced in crime statistics. The story around Abel Morales and his family feels very powerful, in the sense that you realise he will do anything to reach his goal. The problem is of course that in mob connections, there are always issues that could destroy the business deals. A Most Violent Year reminds me of early Martin Scorsese films, but the difference is that director  J. C. Chandor tries to portrait the mob world in his own way. One of the biggest differences between this mob films, and others out there, is that the violence is not the biggest priority. Instead, we get to go deeper within the characters, understand how life can be inside the mob. The acting for the most part is really good, especially from lead actor Oscar Isaac. The plot have a lot of details to tell, so if you are interested in this genre, i think you might try and understand what is going on. Jessica Chastain as Abel´s wife Anna, is one of the strongest characters in this film. Her presence feels natural, and i like that she is not the wife that accept everything. There are moments where you can feel that their marriage have problems, and somehow they try and figure out how to deal with the situation. Once the situation is getting worse, and Abel´s family is in danger, i feel that the story becomes more interesting. There is a lot of scenes where Abel simply talk a lot, both to his business partners, but also to family members. This could have been cut down a bit, and still keep the message of the situation interesting. To be honest, i was really excited to see A Most Violent Year, since the trailer looked so good. I enjoy this film for what this is, a mob film with a much deeper plot than most films in this genre. I would have liked to see Oscar Isaac more angry, and frustrated about the situation, that could have made the film even more interesting. A Most Violent Year is a film for people who love intelligent film making, with great acting. Did i hope for something more ? Yes, i can´t deny that. I still find myself enjoying this story of the early 80´s in New York. Oscar Isaac sure knows how to act like a criminal, this is a very different character from his previous films The Two Faces Of January and Inside Llewyn Davis. He seems to be ready for anything that comes his way. Hopefully people will see this film to get a glimpse of the early 80´s, things were not as happy as it might have seemed. I feel there is a Sidney Lumet vibe in this film, a nice surprise indeed.

Rating: DDD